PLDT’s first two PVL championships might not have been won in traditional full-length conferences, but it won’t diminish its newfound stature as a title threat in the slightest.
In fact, newly-crowned Invitational MVP Savi Davison is already bracing for life as the hunted rather than as hunters.
READ: PLDT savors transformation from heartbreak kids to two-time champs
Winning two titles in the span of a fortnight is a rarity as far as pro leagues go in general.
In achieving such a feat, Davison is compelled to hold on tighter atop the league’s pecking order to avoid falling off as fast as they found their way to the top.
"The hard part now is just not to get comfortable. A lot of people make it great and then kind of fall off,” Davison said as PLDT joined Creamline and Petro Gazz as the league's only multi-titled teams in its eight-year history.
“I think our job from here on out is not to kind of look back and see how hard it was to get here, but what it looks like from here on out," she continued.
"There's going to be a lot more sacrifices, a lot more days that we don't want to show up, but we do, a lot more blood, sweat, and tears. AlI [I] can speak about is how we can maintain that going forward and you know, how we can thrive from here on out."
Built for the long game
For three-time PVL champion coach Rald Ricafort, moving from a title-winning team in Petro Gazz to a brewing title contender in PLDT at the time was a gamble in itself.
Roughly three years later, the move paid off and he’s starting to see his efforts pay dividends in terms of fulfilling his mission of turning the High Speed Hitters into a championship force.
"Since nung nagkaroon ng movement na lumipat kami ng PLDT, ‘yun naman talaga ‘yung goal nila ever since,” Ricafort said.
“Moving forward, kailangan talaga namn i-face ‘yung conference na kami ‘yung nagugutom pa rin. Wala naman gaanong assurance, lalo na sa future.
Tulad ng mga lessons namin sa players na lumipat na nung bini-build namin ‘yung team, wala talagang assurance kung gaano kami katagal magsasama-sama kaya susulitin talaga namin ‘to.”
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